A new contest record
693.6684
highest overall ever cooked here
693.6684 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 676.5028 BILLY RAY BBQ set in 2017.
- old record 676.5028
- set 2017 by BILLY RAY BBQ
RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2) 2017
May 27–28, 2017 · Westmont, IL · 📍 Blackhawk Dr (TY Warner Park)
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE won Grand Champion at the RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2) on May 27, 2017 in Westmont, IL at Blackhawk Dr (TY Warner Park), scoring 693.6684 in a field of 59 teams. DIRT ROAD BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.9544. Category winners: Chicken — KALAMAZOO PIT POSSE (176.0228); Pork Ribs — CONTAGIOUS Q (176.5600); Pork — DIRT ROAD BBQ (174.2744); Brisket — TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI (177.7372). This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by BILLY RAY BBQ; the next was held in 2018.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
568.43
median 652.49
693.67 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.02
- Pork Ribs 176.56
- Pork 174.27
- Brisket 177.74
126.82
177.74
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Entries
59
4 judged meats
Top score
693.6684
Winning margin
1.7140
GC over RC
Field average
648.30
568.43693.67
median 652.49 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
674.8000
568.43693.67
10th place overall
Field spread
125.2348
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 59%
beats 41% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
100%
40 of 40 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.83 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,620
avg power rating going in · stronger than 87% of contests
Storylines (8 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
An upset on the books
26-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 74 times in 100
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 26-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1861
- top seed 2041
Won without a category win
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 21st
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 3rd
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 7–8: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ and THE SMOKE HUNTERS tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: AWW HELL and DIRT ROAD BBQ tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: DIRT ROAD BBQ and Pig Daddy tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
176.5600
best pork ribs ever cooked here
CONTAGIOUS Q turned in 176.5600 in pork ribs — past the 173.1200 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 173.1200
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: BILLY RAY BBQ (won 2017).
- BILLY RAY BBQ · 2017
One of the big ones
59
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 91% of the 5,469 contests in the data
59 teams — bigger than 91% of the 5,469 contests in the data.
They keep coming back
100%
of last edition’s field returned
40 of 40 teams from 2017-05-26 came back
40 of the 40 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2017 | Westmont, IL | Blackhawk Dr (TY Warner Park) | 40 | 676.5028 | BILLY RAY BBQ | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE |
| May 27, 2017 ← this one | Westmont, IL | Blackhawk Dr (TY Warner Park) | 59 | 693.6684 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | DIRT ROAD BBQ |
| May 25, 2018 | Westmont, IL | Blackhawk Dr (TY Warner Park) | 49 | 686.8344 | BOOMERANG BBQ | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA |
| May 26, 2018 | Westmont, IL | Blackhawk Dr (TY Warner Park) | 60 | 702.8572 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | BOOMERANG BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.0228 | 173.7028 | 170.2856 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 174.2744 | 172 |
| Pork | 174.2744 | 173.1200 | 169.7028 |
| Brisket | 177.7372 | 170.8228 | 169.1428 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
59 entries · top 693.6684 · median 652.4912
Chicken
59 entries · top 176.0228 · median 164.5600
Pork Ribs
59 entries · top 176.5600 · median 163.4060
Pork
59 entries · top 174.2744 · median 163.9656
Brisket
59 entries · top 177.7372 · median 160.5488